Professional Treatments for Genital Warts

The best way to treat genital warts, caused by the human papilomavirus, is to seek help from a physician. A doctor can evaluate what kind of treatment needs to be done to your genital warts, or if any needs to be done at all. A professional can also make sure that you don’t have a more serious condition.

Doctors will often adopt a wait and see attitude at first. This is because genital warts often go away spontaneously. Depending on the extent of the problem, the waiting period may be short or longer. Once it is past, if the genital warts are still there, treatment will begin.

There are several creams that are used for genital warts. A doctor may prescribe Podofilox for use at home. The doctor will explain how to use the cream. Another cream that might be prescribed is Aldara. This medication aids the immune system in fighting off the virus. It has a very high success rate with low recurrence.

Fluorouracil is a medication in a cream. This medication prevents HPV and this stops warts from multiplying. It can also get rid of existing warts. The doctor can tell you how to use it. You will need to protect the healthy skin with petroleum jelly.

Fluorouracil is very good for treating all the sensitive areas of the genitals. However, pregnant women can’t use this treatment. Also, people often have to stop treatment after having a severe reaction to the cream.

Podophyllum resin can only be applied by a doctor. The doctor oversees treatment once a week for at least six weeks. A different version of the same substance, podofilox lotion, can be used by the patient at home with a few instructions from the doctor.

Health care professionals are also responsible for the application of trichloroacetic acid (TCA) or bichloroacetic acid (BCA). This medication works by destroying proteins in cells. Thus, it is important to only treat the genital warts and not the surrounding tissue.

Interferon is a product that has been used to treat immunity problems of all kinds. It attacks HPV and boosts the immune system. The methods of delivery are cream, lotion, or injection at the base of the genital warts. It has some side effects, especially for pregnant women.

Surgery may be required for some genital warts. Simple excision, or cutting off, of warts is done in some cases. It is especially effective on genital warts of the vagina, the penis, and around the anus. The area should be healed in three weeks at most, if all goes well.

Sometimes doctors use an electric probe to burn off genital warts. This is called electrocautery and is most useful for genital warts around the anus, on the penis and on the vulva. Local or general anesthesia is used, depending on the severity of the problem. The healing should be finished in a month or less.

Laser surgery can also be effective when all else fails, or if the patient is pregnant and needs warts removed. The genital warts are burned off with the laser. They heal within a month.

How to Treat Plantar Warts at Home

Plantar warts are warts of the feet. They can make walking very painful. As this cuts down on the amount of exercise a person gets, it can contribute to an overall decline in health. It is necessary to treat plantar warts, and sometimes you can do it at home.

First of all, many people with plantar warts also have diabetes. If this is the case, you should always seek professional consultation. People with diabetes can’t afford to take chances with their feet because of their particular health issues.

If you don’t have diabetes, though, you may be able to do something about your plantar warts at home. Just as with common warts, you can use salicylic acid liquids such as Dr. Scholl’s or medicated pads such as Mediplast,

With a plantar wart, it is especially important to protect the area surrounding the plantar wart. You may put a lot of weight on the wart. Any acid you put on healthy skin will soak in and eat away a circle of skin around the wart. To avoid this, you can put petroleum jelly around the circumference of the wart.

Keeping a plantar wart dry is crucial helping it to go away. Try putting on a drying medicated powder up to ten times a day. Change your socks at least three times a day. Some people have even used chlorine to thoroughly dry their feet. If the plantar wart is faithfully kept clean and dry, it doesn’t stand a chance.

On the other hand, some people recommend methods that keep moisture on the wart. As little as this makes sense given that warts thrive on moisture, some find these methods effective.

A remedy that is often referred to is the banana peel remedy. You tape the inner side of a banana peel down onto a plantar wart. This is supposed to draw out the wart. Some say it works well.

One method is to slice up lemons and use them in a remedy. Put them in apple cider and let them ferment for a couple of weeks. At the end of this time, rub the lemon slices on your plantar warts.

You can get Vitamin C tablets at a supermarket, health food store, or pharmacy. Crush tablets of it and apply it to the plantar wart. Cover it with a bandage. Again, bandages are usually not recommended by the experts because they hold in moisture. Moisture does nothing to help remove plantar warts, or any warts.

Another such treatment is applying grapefruit extract to the plantar wart a few times a day. Once more, the suggested treatment is to cover it with a bandage. If you do, make sure that you take the bandage off whenever you can. Let the area air out and dry up a bit.

Aside from genital warts, plantar warts probably require the most attention. Because they cause pain in the feet, they cut down on a person’s mobility. If you have diabetes, you need a physician’s help. If you can treat plantar warts, that’s great. If you can’t, go on to the doctor.